Diwali & Kukar Tihar

The more I learn, the more I grow.

"Diwali is a major Hindu festival that lasts for five days during the lunar months of Ashvina and Karttika (October–November). The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dipavali, meaning ‘row of lights,’ which are lit on the new moon night. The festival is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It is a significant celebration of light, love, and joy. The festival is marked by four days of celebration, each of which has its own tale to tell. The first day of the festival, Naraka Chaturdasi, marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. The second day of Diwali, Amavasya, marks the worship of Lakshmi when she is in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. The third day of Diwali, Kartika Shudda Padyami, marks the victory of Lord Vishnu over the demon-king Bali. The fourth day of Diwali, Yama Dvitiya, is dedicated to the bond between brothers and sisters. The fifth day of Diwali, Bhai Dooj, is dedicated to the bond between siblings. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal across India and other parts of the world."

"Kukur Tihar or Kukur Puja literally means the worship of dogs. This is a mini-festival within a larger Hindu celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights. According to Nepalese tradition, one of the festive days is dedicated solely to the human's most devoted friend and guardian. In Hindu religion, a dog is a sacred animal, intended to have a special bond with a human, so as to accompany us on our way to heaven. 

During Kukur Tihar, the dogs are treated with special love and admiration. Each one gets a flower garland or "malla" placed around its neck. The forehead is painted with a paste named "talik" or "tikka" made from red-colored powder, rice, and yogurt. This marking symbolizes their sacredness. Dogs' favorite part of the celebration is to feast on various goodies ranging from fruit and cookies to eggs, milk, cheese, meat, and high-quality dog food. 

 Always 2nd day of Diwali."

As I'm sure you can imagine, Charlie is pretty thrilled about the treats part of it, but not so much the garland part of it.  Wait till he finds out about the yogurt on his forehead.

My first Diwali tree is a little bare, but I hope in future years it will fill up.

The mat under it is my improvised Rangoli because ... loose sand on the floor + cats = nothing pretty.

Under the lamp, you can see the Diya I made with clay.  In India, they would be filled with ghee (oil) and cotton wicks, but this is West Virginia, and setting the house on fire isn't on my holiday agenda.  I'm using just small tealights in them, and battery-operated candles in the holders under the tree.